December 10th, 2015 Betting Tips: NFL, NBA

We’re nearing the end of the NFL season and tonight the Arizona Cardinals have a chance to clinch their spot in the NFC Playoffs. With a win this week and a loss by the Seahawks they will clinch the division as well and are practically locked in for the bye in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. It’s been a great season for the Cardinals this year and they are a great story heading into the playoffs. Carson Palmer’s finally having the type of season he was always meant to have and it’s just a really great story.

Of course, the Minnesota Vikings have played everyone tough all season long. At 8-4 they are currently tied with the Packers for first place in the NFC North division. They don’t always have the best offense, but their defense usually plays tough and they should give the Cardinals a run for their money. They’ll need to if they want to keep pace with Green Bay who had the big win last Thursday. Tonight’s game should tell us a lot about their future.

NFL Betting Tips:

This is a big game for the Vikings who have struggled to score points all season. Their point differential for the season is only six points. Compare that to the Cardinals who are +150 and you have what looks to be a lopsided match-up. The Cardinals open as 8 point favorites at home and it’s almost surprising that line isn’t higher. The Cardinals have been good, very good. They’ve won six straight while the Vikings have lost two of their past three.

On paper it’s just hard to see how the Vikings can win this game. They were absolutely embarrassed at home last week by the Seattle Seahawks who were able to do a lot of things offensively that the Cardinals are a lot better at. Their only true strength on offense is their rushing game led by Adrian Peterson, but the Cardinals have done a great job of shutting other team’s run game down this season. They’ve held opponents under 90 yards on the ground per game and if they do that tonight, Cardinals -8 should be a piece of cake.

NBA Betting Tips:

The game of the night has to be the Chicago Bulls hosting the Los Angeles Clippers at the United Center. The Clippers have been enjoying their Eastern Conference road trip as they have now won three straight and seem back on pace to be one of the better teams in the Western Conference. The Bulls have been unimpressive thus far this season and I think the Clips run over them tonight. They just seemed really locked in right now and Clippers +1 is a strong play.

Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis lead the Knicks to Sacramento tonight for a game against the Kings. The Knicks have been a surprisingly tough beat thus far this season and tonight is the kind of game they need to win if they hope to keep pace in the tough Eastern Conference. The Kings are currently big six point favorites thanks to their far more potent offense. On a points per game basis, the Kings are scoring 105.2 compared to the Knicks 96.7. They can score, they just can’t stop the other team from scoring as they are allowing 108.7 per game. I think the Kings will dominate the pace in this one, but the Knicks should be able to flex their muscles on offense. Carmelo on national TV should provide some fireworks as well and the Knicks +6 should keep this one close.